Atacama desert Travel Guide

In the far North of Chile, the Atacama desert covers an area of about a fifth of the country. It is about 600 miles long but less than 100 miles wide. Among its many spectacular geological regions are the Valley of the Moon and the Salar de Atacama (a dried lake bed).

There is exceptional scenery that will keep you here for more than just a day. In the desert you will find geoglyphs: huge ancient drawings of animals and the Giant of the Atacama.

You can also see llamas, sheep and goats, and three kinds of flamingoes, and visit oases, old mines and deserted mining towns. Temperatures are mostly comfortable year round, except at the higher elevations bordering the Andes where it can get quite cold, so the best time to visit is October-June (during Chile’s summer).